Friday, July 12, 2013

CD Review: New Music From The Indie-Rock Scene

From along the east coast come a couple of indie pop/rock
artists that have recently released some new music for you to check out. First
up, is the Connecticut alternative band Beijing with their new album “Night.”
Their sound is ruled by raw, buzzing guitars and garage rock drumming, while
the vocals lend themselves to a more mainstream appeal.Songs like “Acrobat” and “The Sun Will Set”
give the album a deep, moody feeling, while the up-tempo, guitar driven “Violent”
and “Silence” show the diversity in the band’s songwriting. The album closes with
the energetic attraction of “Standing” and the almost eight-minute slow-progression
of “Seasons.”

Beijing has a show scheduled for this evening (July 12) at
The Space in Hamden, CT. To find out more about this local indie alternative
rock band, please visit beijing-music.com.

From the streets of New York comes the pop singer/songwriter
Nehedar with her latest release, “This Heart.” The 13-song release brings in
the combination of her acoustic folk songwriting with a pop sensibility as
heard in “Take This World.” She goes a little over the top with her electronic
beats on “What’s Becoming,” but also finds the right vibe with the jazzy sounds
of “On Killing.” Her strengths lie in her gentle acoustic songs like “Something
To Call Mine” and the influential “To Be Small.” The album closes with Nehedar
showing us her worldly sounds in “Bring It Up."

To find out more about this indie folk/pop artist, please
visit her website at nehedar.com.

Australian rock band the Monks of Mellonwah (MOM) have to be
one of the hardest working bands in that country. Last year they released a
five-song EP to go along with their eight-minute musical suite. Now the band is
preparing to release their new full-length album entitled “Turn The People” later
this year. But, instead of waiting for the entire album, the MOM is releasing
it in three parts. Also, the band was recently signed to the A&R Worldwide
label which is also home to such bands as Coldplay and Muse.

The upcoming full, twelve-song release shows the band
expanding out into different territory. The songs are much shorter, (averaging
three and half minutes) and have a more modern, mainstream rock appeal. The
songs “Ghost Stories” has that Linkin Park harmonizing placed on top of some
raw hard rock, while “Vanity” sounds as if it came from Lenny Kravitz’s
songbook. The Monks of Mellonwah are at their best when they take chances with
their music like in “Alive For A Minute” and “Downfall.” They almost go a
little too dance/pop with their sound in “Turn The People,” but thankfully
return to close the album with the progressive rock of “Sky And The Dark Night,
Part 2.”

The Monks of Mellonwah are currently on tour in their home
country of Australia, but look for them in the U.S. this fall. For more
information on the band and their new music, please visit monksofmellonwah.com.